Now that you know that you can fail your thesis, it is even more important to understand what elements you can fail. Some of the items in the list below may cause your thesis to fail and require a new defense. It is important to understand that security requirements may vary from school to school and should be taken into consideration. While some schools allow unlimited defense time, others do not.
Often, certain information will be mandatory to include in your thesis. This necessary information may include items such as:
What to do if you are at risk of failing a class
Before considering dropping out or withdrawing from a class, a student must commit to being in the best position to succeed using the tools available on and off campus. Here are the steps students should take as soon as they know their grade is at risk.
- Talk to the teacher The first step is to ask the teacher for help. “If a student knows they are failing, they should contact the professor immediately and request a meeting during office hours,” says Joseph Croskey, director of the Center for College Advisory Services at Clarion University in Pennsylvania. “If it’s at the beginning of the semester, the professor can help the student map out a course to get a passing grade at the end.” Once the student-teacher relationship is established and a plan is in place, students should seek out the additional resources available to them. Professors are likely to make specific recommendations, and most campuses have many academic resources to help struggling students.
- Find out what you need to do to succeed Ask your teacher to help you understand the class grading system. Get a detailed picture of the progress of upcoming assignments or grades you need to pass. For example, you may need to get a B on each of the next tests to increase your GPA.
- Using student services on campus “There are often successful centers that provide services,” says Kathleen Ellwood, consultant, coach and mentor for Clarion University’s Leadership and Innovation Liaison Group. “Students may have a documented learning disability and should contact the Office of Disability Services for assistance with testing issues. If other issues are stressing them out and preventing them from studying, they can seek out appropriate counseling resources.
- Talk to your Academic Advisor or Academic Coach Advisors can help you act on your behalf and advocate for you. They are there to help students plan a long-term path to achieve their academic goals and may face obstacles along the way. “Some schools also offer academic coaches who can help students with study strategies, time management, and other skills,” says Ellwood.
- Finding a Tutor Students can find tutors on campus through Student Resource Centers. Students also often find tutors online and through academic help centers. No matter the subject, there is someone who can help you. Especially for areas related to repetition or process like math or science, it’s important to have someone on hand to monitor your study habits and understanding of the material.
- Connect with other students If the lesson is difficult for you, the other students probably are too. Croskey recommends taking notes and discussing them daily with other students in an informal peer study group. “Test the content every day. Study in a supportive environment without distractions,” says Croskey. Sometimes the key to understanding something is to hear it explained differently. Talk to as many people as possible about the topic.
- Use online resources Khan Academy, or even YouTube, can help you in many areas,” Croskey says. Watch videos, do more research, get reps with the right casting systems. Everything it helps.
- Keep a positive attitude interest in the subject.
Think positively about the class and the workload.If you can make it interesting, the knowledge is more likely to stick, and the learning will be a better experience, Croskey says, about the subject and what the teacher presents. Your ability to pay attention and concentrate can be improved with the right attitude,” she says. - Get extra credits, if possible Your teacher may assign you work that you can do to improve your grade, or at least give you additional study material. Take advantage of these opportunities as it will show a desire to succeed and end the lesson on a high note.
Meet with an academic advisor
If you are at risk of failing, it is a good idea to meet with an academic advisor. The counselor can review your options if you fail or pass the class. In most schools, for example, students with a failing grade can join the same class to replace the grade on their transcript.
Academic advisors can talk about your options to protect your GPA or drop out of class.
Can you resubmit a thesis?
So what to do after a failed thesis? Can you retake the exam like any other college or university exam?
If you fail a thesis, you will score below the score limit which is usually 40 for most institutions. This is why the thesis failure rate is lower. Most students can exceed the limit points by one point.
How to avoid the failure of a thesis?
I think my thesis is bad, what can I do to fix it? This is one of the most common questions we receive. And it’s not easy to answer. There are many things you can do to avoid PhD failure. Here are some of the most important things you need to do to avoid failure:
- Use your critical thinking effectively. Most theses fail for lack of critical analysis. Being descriptive in general or criticizing the work of other researchers will not work. You need to analyze the material and come up with original solutions or use your research to unearth something new.
- Make sure your document is consistent. It is very likely to fail if the thesis is not organized. Keep in mind that the document should be coherent as a whole and not just a bunch of paragraphs strung together.
- Make the presentation as beautiful as possible. A bad submission will have disastrous consequences as it will give the committee a reason to fail you due to poorly written material and even a lack of logical structure. Proofread your work or hire a professional proofreader to do it for you. Make sure it’s perfect!
- Make the changes requested by the committee during the oral exam. You probably won’t fail the oral exam, but you certainly will if you don’t make the required changes. And no, the changes shouldn’t be too big either.
- Make sure you have published at least 4 or 5 books. Normally, the committee does not expect them to be published. However, you must ensure that these articles can be published in a good academic journal.
- Don’t aim too high. Your research probably won’t change the field and probably won’t lead to the discovery of a cure for cancer. The purpose of your thesis is to show the committee that you are capable of doing top-notch research, not to show the best work of your career.